


lay hell bare a hundred times

by Kiwi8_fruit6



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is in Hell for a Reason (Hazbin Hotel), Canon-typical swearing, Character Study, Charlie Magne Tries, Cinnamon Roll Charlie Magne, Drabble Collection, Fallen Angel Lucifer Magne, Flash Fic, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Good Friend Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Husk (Hazbin Hotel) has PTSD, Husk is Bad At Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Light Angst, Mentioned Valentino (Hazbin Hotel), Niffty has OCD, No Dialogue, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poor Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Soft Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Veteran Husk (Hazbin Hotel), ratings vary for each drabble, some chapters are T while others are M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:47:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 3,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28802307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiwi8_fruit6/pseuds/Kiwi8_fruit6
Summary: A collection of short (drabble to flash-fic length) Hazbin character studies; personal insights into the spectrum of emotions and experiences found inside of every demon.--#21: think over (angel dust) is now up!
Relationships: Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Cherri Bomb/Molly (Hazbin Hotel)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 60





	1. don't think (charlie magne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie Magne may appear to be naïve or foolish; the way she sings her message of rainbows and redemption and going to heaven like it's just that simple …it gives a lot of Hell’s residents the impression that Lucifer's sheltered, weird daughter doesn't know, or doesn't care, or just can’t grasp how low things can get for the average demon on the street.
> 
> Don't think that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: mild mention of minor character death/suicide-by-exterminator, and implied/referenced suicidal thoughts

Don’t think that Charlie doesn’t _know_.

Don’t mistake her optimism for naivety; her occasional lack of tact for a lack of empathy. Charlie’s the daughter of a fallen angel and the first fallen sinner; older than most Overlords.

She has experienced enough Exterminations already. Watched slumped sinners, who smiled hopelessly as they stumbled towards the waiting spears of the heaven-sent Exorcists.

Don’t think Charlie doesn’t notice when Angel Dust wears that same forsaken expression, or that worry doesn’t flare up inside her each time she does.

Charlie _knows_. But she doesn’t really know what to do.

_(at least, not yet)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask me who my favourite character from Hazbin Hotel is, and my answer will be Charlie. In just the pilot alone she gets a brilliantly diverse emotional range (from effusively exuberant to lonely melancholy to that delicious hint at her inner turmoil at the end of ‘I’m Always Chasing Rainbows’). I’m really hoping that the full series builds on this potential. 
> 
> I also love complex, ‘grey’ portrayals of character morality. Flawed, imperfect protagonists whose shortcomings are mentioned without assassinating their character. It’s something else that attracts me to Hazbin Hotel, because I can see a whole lot of opportunities for that in the series as well.
> 
> Charlie is privileged. As a princess and the daughter of the ruler of Hell, it’s a fair assumption that her upbringing impacts her worldview; and that she might not always comprehend the experience of most demons. How she goes about promoting the Hotel indicates that she doesn’t get why sinners choose or get stuck in cycles of sin (‘diagnosis: evil – prescription: love+fun’), or that following the morality of the beings that come down to commit genocide doesn’t appeal to most of Hell’s residents. 
> 
> But Charlie clearly has the capacity for compassion. She’s visibly very upset by the Exterminations and the suffering it causes, and the core motivation of her project is to reduce if not eliminate the need for annual purges. And her privilege doesn't just invalidate her familial issues or the emotional impact of being mocked & doubted by the rest of Hell. Charlie is a good character at heart.
> 
> (I headcanon that she's seen enough souls who got to the point where 'double-death' is more appealing than carrying on in Hell and actively seek out the Exorcists when Extermination Day comes. Enough to recognize the signs in one's body language, even if she struggles with the 'why' and the 'how to help them' parts. Though Charlie may have been too excited by the prospect of their first guest/disappointed by his initial relapses/fooled by his mask to really notice, I'm sure that she would spot the signs of Angel Dust reaching the point where he could contemplate an end to his afterlife.)


	2. in return (cherri bomb)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cherri knows she can trust Angel Dust to watch her back, and in return Angel trusts the spunky cyclops to watch his. It’s a fair, fun, and mutually beneficial exchange.
> 
> Elsewhere in their friendship, though, Cherri doesn’t expect Angel to reciprocate things. That wouldn’t be fair on him.

Angel opened up to her first. He showed up one night on Cherri’s doorstep; trembling and curled in on himself – nothing like the persona he usually extruded.

So she laid beside him on her rotten mattress, and he sobbed until the rising pentagram bled the new day.

After that, Cherri’s apartment would always be open for Angel when he needed it.

She still kept her own past closed. She couldn’t dump that on him, on top of the shit he went through.

Besides, whenever Cherri hung out with Angel she never thought about Hunter.

That felt like enough in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *That* scene from the Addict M/V. That is all. Angel & Cherri’s friendship is so good that I can’t put it into words.
> 
> It seems that Cherri can relate & empathise on some level to what Angel goes through with Val. I chose to expand on the mysterious dude who showed up in Cherri’s verse of the music video (originally he was the Demon Hunter from Vivzie’s webcomic Zoophobia). I appropriated his last name (which sounds Aussie enough to me) and jumped on the theory that he’s either Cherri’s ex or a demon who hurt her in some terrible way when she first fell into Hell.


	3. small victory (vaggie mothra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Vaggie’s last memories of her time in the living world is of an intense agony skewering her head and of her vision going red. When she woke she couldn’t see out of her left eye. 
> 
> Years spent in Hell, and that still very much impacts her afterlife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a drabble-and-two-thirds, technically.
> 
> Inspired by this comic by Carbone-Arts: https://twitter.com/Black_andGreen/status/1278738203936264195

The alarm goes off. Vaggie, blinking, rolls over and reaches across to the bedside table.

She knocks a glass of water clean onto the floor.

Charlie jolts awake at the noise; peers over Vaggie’s shoulder at the shattered mess on the carpet. She rubs the moth’s rigid back; presses warmth and presence against her girlfriend, delicately offering words of _it’s okay_ and _Niffty won’t have any trouble dealing with it_...

until Vaggie’s internal monologue of _stupid, blind, should have been more careful_ subsides and the clenched panic in her chest thaws, and now she can fumble deliberately for the still-squawking phone, pick it up, and hit snooze.

She puts the phone back and huffs, turning to face her girlfriend. Charlie looks at her with such earnest caring that Vaggie can’t help but slowly smile, and really believe in that infectious unspoken reassurance.

Charlie beams back; kisses her, and encloses her in a morning cuddle, gently tracing a thumb around the scarred ‘X’ of Vaggie’s left eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chaggie is my OTP, so I really, really enjoyed (and got properly emotionally invested) writing this chapter. I legitimately don’t think I’ve shipped any other pairing to this degree. 
> 
> Of course it follows that Vaggie’s missing eye would affect her eyesight, depth perception etc; and that’s something that I would like to see covered or addressed in canon, or (to be honest) a bit more in the fandom as well. I tried to draw from my experience with intense anxiety & guilt over making mistakes for writing her POV here; I feel like Vaggie would feel able to be 'vulnerable' around Charlie when it comes to her fears & emotions.
> 
> Carbone-Arts is a fantastic, instantly distinctive artist, and I really admire how her Hazbin works aren’t afraid to represent mental health, self-harm or lingering injuries, and conditions like alopecia universalis effectively and gut-punchingly well. Do check them out on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Black_andGreen) & give them some love!


	4. ebbing entertainment (alastor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alastor finds entertainment in watching and instigating the failure and suffering of others. But, as a radio personality will testify, the same old songs will soon become overplayed. It might just be that the foundering of wayward souls has become the Radio Demon’s own broken record.

When Alastor first associates with the Hotel it is an absolute ball of a time! Husk is readily aggrivated as always, and so is Vagatha. He pulls japes to get patrons in a lather, haunts them until the pikers succumb to the fleeting repose of their temptations.

But, as the months pass, the same old hijinks start to become humdrum.

Charlie particularly is more entertaining when she’s cheerful. It better suits the dame to be a live wire, not ever-duller and more despondent each day.

A shunned _feeling_ , something other than his eldritch appetite, starts to nibble away at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoy Alastor as a morally ‘grey’ character – that combination of chaotic schadenfreude delight in others’ misfortune and a life as a serial killer/afterlife as an Overlord, with a warped sense of justice as depicted in his prequel comic. 
> 
> It’d be a shame to see him written as a straight-up villain, but to me if he is redeemed at all it should be a long & complex development. I feel like Alastor would probably be one of the last (if not the last) of the Hazbins to be redeemed; either that or he remains in Hell or manages to find peace in the void. 
> 
> Since Alastor’s initial motive for joining the Hotel is for his own entertainment, it seems to me that the first step towards redemption would be his realization that other demons’ failures no longer amuse him. That opens up 2 character arc possibilities: one of self-reflection; one of spiralling & causing greater chaos in search of entertainment. There will be two ‘quasi-sequel’ chapters later on in which I plan to explore both paths.


	5. stay away (angel dust)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He can’t open up to them. Even if he almost (does) trust them now. The fear of what Valentino could do to them chokes Angel whenever he thinks about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by this comic by Hunter B: https://hntrgurl13.tumblr.com/post/627330192680042496/i-had-an-angsty-angelhusk-idea
> 
> CW: angst, self-loathing/effects of gaslighting & abuse, implied/referenced non-con.

Charlie is pure. She loves rainbows, song, and companionship. Val would wring the colour and innocence out of her and make her alone.

Vaggie, all defense and anticipation, would wear herself out too early, and then Val would unfold her relevant dark memories.

Niffty…she wouldn’t be able to clean this. Or him. 

Alastor’s powers are still finite. Three cruel overlords would ensnare his attention, exhaust and overwhelm him.

Husk has fought enough. Would he be able ~~(want)~~ to fight again for Angel?

Angel won’t tell any of them, because he doesn’t want them to get hurt. Not for his sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Husk would fight for Angel without hesitation. Charlie shields her inner rainbow with hellfire; paces and grounds her girlfriend. Alastor fights smart, and Niffty is much tougher than her stature belies. 
> 
> They consider Angel to be worth it.)


	6. never rest (niffty)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niffty enjoys making things clean and tidy and correct. She does. But to keep having to clean and tidy and correct the same things again and again…
> 
> Sometimes the little cockroach would like to relax for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A drabble-and-a-quarter

When she finishes dusting all the empty suites on the top floor there’s a catastrophe of spilt soup to deal with down in the kitchen. And then by the time the linoleum is acceptably spotless the cobwebs have strung themselves across the doorframes. The mould in the bathrooms will have grown back; Miss Angel’s carpet always has _something_ in it after he returns from his work

and after all that the rooms will just get dusty again…

Niffty likes cleaning, she really does. When things are as they should be, how they should look, it eases the tight knot in her stomach, and she takes pride that she was responsible for making it right.

She just wishes that things would stay clean, for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pursuing the concept of Niffty having OCD or anxiety here. I think there’s gotta be something behind her frenetic pace and obsessive eye for any dirt. 
> 
> Tried to draw from my own experience of feeling overwhelmed & overloaded as well.


	7. absolutely nothing (husk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Husk was a soldier in life. He stormed beaches, watched friends die, shot enemies and watched them die too. Even after the fact, he was still there, fighting. He’s been fighting something or other non-stop ever since.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double-drabble. Title from the song 'War' by Edwin Starr.
> 
> CW: swearing (because Husk). From this point on I’m bumping the rating up to a definite M.

It’s a battle for Husk to drag himself to his feet _~~paws~~_ most mornings. Against the pounding cage of a hangover (you’d damn well think he’d be used to that now), or sheer fucking fatigue from a whole night plagued by the sounds of gunfire and agony.

With Alastor he fights a battle of will, against a smarmy bastard holding all the cards. With Charlie it’s dredging up effort to weather her sheer overload of innocent extroversion.

Vaggie barks like a drill sergeant. Niffty moves his stuff around as she cleans the bar, and he has to make sure to move that bottle of bitters back where it’s supposed to be else things go to shit. There’s no goddamn logical reason why it would, but that’s what instinct and memory scream at him.

Husk is tired. He wonders what constantly fighting these constant internal wars is good for, in the scheme of things.

Angel does notice when it gets bad; pipes down; pays his tab without complaint; keeps the flirting to a subtle smoulder and his regular display of chest fluff. Keeps Husk company on those rough days.

That little bit of respite means a lot for the old cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the huskerdust is rather light here but I can assure you I definitely do ship it. there will be more down the line.
> 
> (Angel is the real MVP)


	8. justify it (lilith magne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilith puts her talents to good use (more evidently so than her chaotic husband). With her wealth and face and voice she has streetwise armies at her beck and call to resist the reaping forces of Heaven. It’s a demanding cause to commit to though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A double-drabble.

Messages used to come from her daughter at least once a day. Charlie’s latest missed call is the first in weeks.

Lilith spares a short glance at the illuminated hellphone, before returning to the infirmary, where injured, fading demons lay stacked on stretchers. The Extermination was last night, and these are just some of the victims – those who rallied and fought back.

She’s likely calling about her new project. It’s futile to pursue redemption, Lilith thinks (knows), but the hotel has its merits; perhaps as a safe refuge for the least-damned (but damned nonetheless).

Charlie can be overly optimistic, but Lilith appreciates that her daughter also finds the genocide senseless, unjust, cruel. It’s simply that Charlie never Fell (or was pushed) like her parents; that she’s never experienced Heaven’s unforgiving wrath as they did.

Perhaps she should return Charlie’s call. It’s been months since mother and daughter last spoke.

But there are many demons to tend to and pull from the brink here, now as for every year. Charlie has her own lover, and Razzle and Dazzle. These casualties have too few to help them all.

So Lilith tends and comforts those she inspired; and allows that regret to linger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a moment in the opening scenes of the Hazbin Hotel pilot (around 1:06 in) where a ‘Resist!’ poster with Lilith’s silhouette and name can be spotted. I chose to expand on that and headcanon that Lilith is heavily involved with those in Hell who make a stand against the Exorcists – holds concerts to raise funds, uses her standing and reputation to recruit & encourage demons through propaganda, and (as here) assist with the aftermath of Extermination days.
> 
> It also gives her a somewhat valid reason to not have time to return Charlie’s calls, especially if Charlie is closer to Lilith than she is to Lucifer. I suspect Lilith could understand her daughter’s reasons for pursuing redemption a bit better than Lucifer – I might aim to explore his POV in a later chapter.


	9. fast forward (charlie magne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie loves musicals and rainbows. She whirls through a hundred ideas a minute, trails after sudden fixations that catch her eye, seeks out what will wow her. The loud bits that stand out when you fast forward through a song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A drabble-and-a-half.

Life...

_~~(is it technically life when you’re an immortal Hellborn princess?~~ _

_Well, anyway.)_

Existence, then, is on fast-forward for Charlie. A constant compulsion to do & experience as much as possible.

Yet at the same time, things pass her by – she sits down to focus on one particular task and then suddenly it’s hours later. It frustrates her.

Big things get Charlie’s attention; the loud bits that stand out when you fast forward through a song, the bits that make you stop, rewind, and listen properly. Fast, loud music. Visual spectaculars; fireworks, bright colours and dancing.

Vaggie, in a quiet way, stands out in how she tells Charlie why rather than just no. How she gently tempers and also enables her ambitions and dreams. It’s a contrast to the judgement she’s used to getting.

Vaggie is Charlie’s anchor. A pause button, a respite before she’s ready to fast forward again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Headcanoning here that Charlie has ADHD. I can relate to a few of her character traits from the pilot - e.g. seeking or being drawn to big, bold, exciting activities, displays & experiences that get the seratonin going; making spur-of-the-moment choices & decisions.


	10. looped coil (sir pentious)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like a snake swallowing his own tail, the memories and vices and errors of Sir Pentious’s life carry over through his death. A character study.

In life he sought, strived to live up to the standard set by his father. Always he was shunned, set aside, in some way insufficient. He saw himself surpassed and outclassed by rivals and opponents; vowed to overcome them only to be trounced again despite his best efforts.

In death, he resents the successive rejections by the overlord class he seeks to join; the foes who consistently anticipate his plans, demolish his inventions, yet do not grant him the recognition he craves.

He has a legion of unwavering minions but, well...

Manufactured loyalty cannot replace some things ~~_(like lost kin)._~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out sadder than I intended it to - somebody give the Doofenshmirtz noodle a hug.
> 
> I've jumped on the bandwagon for the theory that Sir Pentious had a son, who became estranged from his father at some point, and that the snake is still kinda hoping to find and reconcile with his kid in the afterlife.


	11. get it (angel dust)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaggie’s a tight-laced hardass, if you ask Angel.
> 
> He never expected she’d be the first one to comprehend just what situation he was in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: implied recent non-con.

Angel had long figured not to expect anyone else to ‘get’ him. For the most part, you could lump others into:

  1. bastards who pretended _(so well)_ that they knew and cared and then just _didn’t_
  2. hard-edged squares who didn’t bother to hide it



~~_(he’s still not sure which is worse)_ ~~

He’d put Vaggie in the latter right off the bat. Trying ta enforce a single-minded, cold-turkey approach to “redemption”? Her disdain for his line of work? Yep, the moth chick weren’t gonna comprehend him, so Angel didn’t concern himself more than that.

He got a few kicks out of winding her up, anyhow.

* * *

Angel arrives ingloriously back at the hotel one night; suit and fur torn. The limo dumps him in the gutter; there’s a burst of verbal abuse from Val’s thugs then the engine’s receding roar. It takes Angel a minute to pull himself up and ease his way into the lobby.

Vaggie’s there. She looks (actually looks) at him; and there’s no righteous fury or judgement on her face, but recognition at his bruising, his tired expression.

Wry empathy. A bit of guilt.

She knows, first hand. She gets it _( ~~him~~ )._

There aren’t any _(or too many)_ words to be said. So Vaggie’s apology is a twitched nod, Angel’s acknowledgement is a bob of his own head; and he heads for the stairs, trying not to dwell on the hopeful lump in his throat.

* * *

Next morning, Angel finds a tequila sunrise waiting for him at breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though Vaggie’s canon backstory is as-yet unknown, the theory that Vaggie would resent Angel because he appears to have chosen to be a sex worker/porn star and *appears* to enjoy it, while she didn't have a similar choice (if she was also a sex worker in life), really compels me as a logical basis for their vitriolic interactions. 
> 
> Once she realizes what’s actually going on with Valentino, I like to think Vaggie would recognize where she judged Angel too harshly, reach out to Angel in some way and they would come to an understanding. I really want to see something like this in Hazbin – quality Angel & Vaggie friendship.


	12. the deep pt. 1 (husk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hazbins find a decrepit pool in the hotel and set about renovating it. It triggers some particularly bad memories for Husk.
> 
> (aka. Husk has aquaphobia & PTSD.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 3.
> 
> CW: swearing, referenced traumatic situations, angst.

Husk didn’t know that the hotel had an old, disused pool, and he’d really be better off not fucking knowing.

* * *

Charlie chatters how she never even knew it was here, and the bartender’s mind is cast back to

_black depths, disease-ridden corpses tainting the waters, a vulnerable ford ripe for ambush_

Niffty tasks herself with cleaning up the decrepit pool, and Husk remembers

_never go alone_ and _look away for one second and suddenly they’re_

**_g o n e_**.

* * *

He discretely asks Angel and Vaggie to keep an eye on her, cause Niffty would refuse any direct offer of aid

_(and that attitude got them killed)_

Angel seems to see straight through Husk like he’s a fractured pane of glass. Vaggie outright asks him, with _concern_ , if there’s a reason for his request - if the cat is okay.

Husk doesn’t want to elaborate. He takes another swig of cheap booze.


	13. destructive want (alastor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A possible sequel to #4 'ebbing entertainment'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Character Death. Really, really dark & angsty. Zalgo text is also used.

The hotel burns. The wards are torn -

_**he̕͜ ̢to̧͜r̢e̛͠ ̴͠͝the͠͠m̧͘** _

It was, in the moment, exhilarating to watch as realization filtered through the denizens and then as panic set in. A true feeling of elated apprehension that he hadn’t felt in so long…

Then the angels came in.

* * *

Alastor lies, twisted, watching the circling formations through the peeled roof. In corners of his vision there’s a scattered pack of cards, a tattered feather, a ripped red lady’s glove.

The chaos, the collapse of forlorn hopes and dreams… yes, it was most entertaining. While it lasted. But now…what could top this – allowing exorcists to enter protected premises?

~~_Was it worth losing Husker? Seeing the princess turn her back and disappear into herself, no fire, just the mere act of giving up?_ ~~

Was it worth the holy blade piercing his body, draining his essence into the void?

He doesn’t regret, though. What still consumes Alastor, as he fades, is a hunger for **M͞ƠR̶͢͠Ȩ͘** of the thrill that has brought him down.

The end is absolute boredom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue ironic swing cover of Addict*
> 
> If Alastor does go down a villainous path, I hope it goes something like this. I’ve never really gone for intentionally malicious villains. 
> 
> Here my concept is that Alastor is, well, ‘addicted’ to feeling entertained, and over time he becomes desensitized to what used to give him a rush – thus seeking out bigger and bigger thrills. In #4 ‘ebbing entertainment’ I tried to convey the beginning of that process at the Hazbin Hotel – Alastor tiring of watching (and having a hand in) Charlie & sinners struggling for redemption. This continuation has him simply plunging into being more and more disruptive and chaotic, to incite bigger reactions and be entertained again. 
> 
> Culminating in him allowing exorcists to enter the Hotel on Extermination Day, and being wounded and erased by their holy weapons in the chaos (and yes, that's Husk's cards & wing, and Angel's glove, that Alastor sees out of the corner of his eye)
> 
> ...yeah this is a bleak one. I don't intend to write many of those - there's some fluffier chapters (or at least ones with happy/hopeful endings) coming up next.


	14. please noone (cherri bomb)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s a difference between pleasing someone and making them happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from the lyrics of ‘Bad Reputation’ by Joan Jett

There’s a difference between pleasing someone and making them happy. Cherri understands this.

However much hell-righteous satisfaction Cherri can derive from blowing up the old snake’s stupid airships or sending the deceitful soul of a slimy ex-executive sky-high, it doesn’t really match the quiet contentment of a sleepover with Angie.

And she ain’t a saint, neither is the spider, but for all the indulgences they share she knows when Angel needs her to (even if he doesn’t want her to) keep the next baggie away, and hold him shuddering and sobbing through the comedown.

_You only feel good when you’ve got no pain_ \- but sometimes blocking it out ends up making it worse.

* * *

There’s a difference between pleasing someone and making them happy.

Cherri sees how Angie brags of his prolific encounters with various Johns (or the way he hunches after time with that rat bastard); in contrast to his soft, unguarded inflections divulging his milkshake date with the Hotel’s feline bartender.

She’s felt it herself – if she’s not ready to fully admit it – the distinction between those past one-night stands, and Molly brushing back Cherri’s fringe to tuck a scarlet blossom behind her ear, smiling all the while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Cherri & Angel friendship, with hints of Huskerdust and Mollybomb (feat. useless lesbian Cherri). 
> 
> At this point I think I’ve given up the pretence of trying to write precise-length drabbles. Still trying to round the word count to multiples of 5, but 200-word flash fics seem to be what I default to now.


	15. safe flame (vaggie mothra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demon forms are designed to terrify. Vaggie finds that Charlie’s demon form doesn’t frighten her, though.

Demon forms are designed to terrify. To give the aggravator one last chance to back off, or (more commonly) strangle their will to fight.

Vaggie finds that her girlfriend’s doesn’t though. When Charlie’s eyes flame, fangs grow, hair whirls and ebony horns sprout, and she radiates a different sort of intensity...

~~_well it’s kind of a turn-on if she’s honest-_ ~~

...but when they were just new acquaintances, and the usual carful of _pendejos_ had stopped to hoot and jeer, Charlie had instantly stepped in front the moth and filled the air with rainbow fire. She loomed and snarled until the harassers fled.

Then she turned to Vaggie, with scarlet eyes and vampiric face holding nothing but actual honest concern and empathy, and for the first time that she could remember, Vaggie felt that someone was truly on her side, willing to fight for her.

Charlie transforms, and Vaggie feels _safe._


	16. low fruit (lucifer magne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucifer reacts to his daughter’s adoption of Heaven’s ideals & propaganda.

It’s a slap in the face.

That his daughter would be apparently won over by the compelling falsities of Heaven. Would choose to espouse those unattainable standards and kowtow to the ones (one) who demand it else damnation.

Lucifer fumes, coiled over the palace balcony, looking but not really out over the apple garden that, right now, taunts him over his past.

He only sought knowledge, answers ~~_(temptation)_~~ ; as did his lovely Lilith.

He doesn’t recollect Charlie asking why the Exterminations occur; what really constitutes sin, what happened when Lucifer fell ~~_(was pushed)_~~ ; how Heaven really works.

For all that’s apparent she’s taken the lowest-hanging apple; accepted the victor’s account without scrutiny.

Is this his punishment? Lucifer knows Heaven wants an ‘antichrist’ to rally against, and he would never willingly mold his child for that ridiculous role – but did he shelter Charlie; keep too much from her for too long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would take place pre-pilot, after Charlie & Lucifer have a heated argument over her redemption project. 
> 
> I’ve tried to portray Lucifer as harbouring (and understandably so) a great deal of resentment against Heaven, while also clearly trying to excuse himself. Caring for his daughter but struggling to communicate with her. Again; grey & grey morality.
> 
> Leaning into the self-fulfilling prophecy trope a bit at the end – that Lucifer raised and perhaps sheltered Charlie trying to avoid making her into an ‘antichrist’, to protect her and to stave off the end-times. Yet her emotional reaction to the Exterminations and the suffering in Hell could push her over the edge a la Anakin Skywalker
> 
> (ooh now I need to do a villain!Charlie drabble)


	17. the deep pt. 2 (husk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hazbins find a decrepit pool in the hotel and set about renovating it. It triggers some particularly bad memories for Husk.
> 
> Aka. Husk has aquaphobia & PTSD. Part 2/3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: referenced traumatic war experiences, description of PTSD-induced panic attack

They’re still working on that fucking pool, and Husk gets a massive sense of foreboding every time Charlie gushes about how things are coming along or Angel makes an allusion to his ‘beach bod’.

One day there’s a commotion somewhere in the hotel – a bassy roar –

 _(t_ _ense ready to take cover or flee)_

– two shrieks -

_(someone is suffering)_

– the crackle of shadowy static -

_(orders coming in the fog)_

-

then Alastor manifests in the lobby lugging some mutant fucking shark, still twitching, to his swamp lair

and _fuck_ Husk is _clinging to debris; fins circling; scales shredding his legs_

_or are those teeth teeth t e e t h…_

The Radio Demon finds him afterwards, gasping, pressed into a corner and yanking at his tattered ears.

Alastor does nothing but remain at his side in respectful silence.

Husk hates it, and hates himself for hating it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is angsty. 
> 
> Part 3 gets better, I swear. There is a wholesome payoff.


	18. wish for (charlie magne)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the Hotel’s first redemption. Charlie thinks and wonders why she doesn’t feel as elated as she had expected. It's everything she ever wished for.

It wasn’t anything like she’d thought it would be – the first redemption. Maybe she had expected more of a show, a spectacle – lights, clouds, fantastic colours. Like she’d often sung about.

But, really, it was noteworthy enough.

* * *

The particular patient had been a thief in life. In just the past few days he’d begun being charitable of his own earnest violation.

Today, in the middle of lunch, a shade clad in plain robes had appeared (at first Charlie mistook him for one of Al’s shadows), proffered a lily to the fidgeting demon and declared _I come to bring you to the second kingdom, where you may continue to cleanse your soul_.

Something, unseen & unheard, **_reverberated_** through the hotel (out in a shockwave across Pentagram City) – and sinner and shade were gone.

* * *

Now, Charlie makes her way numbly to her and Vaggie’s suite.

Alastor is probably crowing from his radio tower all about the upset to Hell’s taken-for-granted status quo. Vaggie will be downstairs corralling the uproarious guests, invigorated with palpable victory and sheer relief. Katie Killjoy’s shrill bluster is muffled but audible from within several rooms.

She ought to feel elated. Her project has _succeeded_. She’s proven the naysayers wrong, and that the Exterminations need never happen again.

So why does Charlie feel empty? One redeemed sinner can be, will be, followed by more. The hotel has more residents.

...

Those residents include her friends. Her _love._

_One day, she is going to have to say goodbye to them._

Charlie crumples against the wall and starts to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Charlie :-(
> 
> I drew inspiration and appropriated a line from Dante’s Purgatorio, Canto I, lines 4–9. The shade is implied to be Nicholas of Tolentino, a 13th century Italian saint who is invoked as an advocate for souls in Purgatory. Lily flowers are often associated with him.
> 
> Since it seems like Heaven isn’t portrayed as all-good in the Hazbin universe (that Heaven sends Exorcist angels down specifically to cull Hell’s population on a regular basis is a dead ringer), I’m curious whether purgatory (if it exists) could, in its neutrality, be a more welcoming place for rehabilitating Hellward souls. That I think would be an interesting concept to see explored.


	19. pint sized (niffty)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Niffty is 100% aware of her small size. And of how other demons see her because of it.
> 
> She doesn’t mind at all; it has its advantages, being tiny.

Demons often mistake her for a child. Which is categorically, unevoquically, definitely incorrect – she died at the age of 22 – but it’s not too big of a deal, really.

Niffty’s small stature aids her in cleaning – to get into all the tight corners, nooks and crannies where dust and grime gather. It’s good that she can reach all those places. To leave any of them filthy (as a bigger demon might) would be a big NOPE.

It also helps her allay any suspicion when Alastor employs her to do a… different sort of cleaning. No-one seems to expect a diminutive bug in a dress to have such a _bite_ – and Niffty does confess she relishes their fleeting surprise. Even though it’s probably rather unladylike.

Sure, there are some instances where she gets literally overlooked. Where she can’t reach something very high-up and too tricky to scramble or bounce up to. But still, she’s not fussed. Those are few and far between, and when it does happen that Niffty’s height holds her back…

She’s got friends who she can count on to lift her up if she needs it. Al, with his perpetual smile; Husk, grumpily (but not really) obliging. Princess Charlie; extroverted & hospitable; no-nonsense, pragmatic Vaggie; and Miss Angel Dust, ever personable and chatty…

With them, Niffty doesn’t feel _small_.


	20. root for (alastor)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Consider the possibility that redemption is possible. Is it more entertaining to watch the underdog succeed instead of fail? To see the doubters struck dumb?

_Consider the minute possibility, for just a moment - that redemption is possible, for the loathsome sinners and wayward souls all Fallen down here in Hell._

_Consider that greater powers than I wish to keep them here. The elite of Heaven, who hold such distain for those who fall short of their impossibly pure standards. The princes, who seek numbers for dispensable armies, to throw against the blades of the Angels when the Holy deign to bring their Judgement down and end all existence as if **their** whims are the **last word...** **  
**_

_(And I must give mention to my contemporaries and lessers in the Overlord caste; who by-and-large desire sustained control over the masses each for their own unsavory goal.)_

_As patron of this Hazbin Hotel, and a resident of Hell for 87 years, I have observed the common sinner time and time again. Their vices are simple and material and turned oh-so inward. Rare, amongst sinners, imps, hellhounds and the rabble, is the ambition, the drive, the means, the inherent cruelty that defines the ‘successful’ demon who rises to prominence._

_And, believe it or not, some of our guests here have shown what could be an honest inclination towards self-improvement - in the face of Hell’s constant adversity to boot!_

_…_

_Is it more entertaining, perhaps, to watch the underdog succeed, not fail?_

_To see the doubters struck dumb? The old order, the status quo, the establishment who profit from the way things are, tumble and fall and lose that which they built their beliefs and existences around?_

_Stability is the antithesis of entertainment. Stability stagnates. Entertainment is constantly in renewal…_

_Consider it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Couldn't decide whether this should be a radio broadcast or an internal monologue - so stylistically it might have turned out as a bit of both.)
> 
> If Alastor comes around to supporting Charlie’s goal of redemption, this is what I see as his most likely motivation. Entertainment.
> 
> Alastor strikes me as an anti-establishment character – seemingly largely disinterested in the power & influence that other Overlords crave. And in his prequel comic, he might have some warped sense of justice. Perhaps, at some point, he becomes inclined to see Hell’s elite and status quo disrupted as more entertaining than watching the average sinner struggle with their individual vices (which must in many cases be exacerbated by the Way Hell Is).


	21. think over (angel dust)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angel reckons Charlie overthinks things. Not in a bad way, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A sorta-sequel to #1: ‘don’t think’
> 
> CW: inferred non-con

If you ask Angel Dust, Charlie overthinks things.

Cornily convoluted plans for redemption, step-by-steps dependent on the success of the step before. She’ll brainstorm up a hundred different rainbow tangents, all in response to what could be the tiniest little non-issue.

He doesn’t mean to pass judgement on the Princess cruelly. Granted, he’s made his personality barbed and sharp on purpose, _everything_ that comes out of his mouth tends to be on the obnoxious side. Plus, when he’s in the middle of a comedown, he can’t exactly cope with a bombardment of enthusiasm, or platitudes from someone who’s obviously never been in his high-heeled shoes.

Angel remembers overthinking things too, though.

Trying to meet his father’s expectations. Juggling secrets; two contrasting lives. Struggling to puzzle out his once-and-neva’ future with fewer & fewer pieces every day.

~~(What Val did _ **(** **does)**_ when he questioned or talked back or scrutinized the soul contract or just tried to make his own choices…~~

~~_No. Don’t think about it.)_ ~~

Point is, overthinking never took ~~_takes_~~ Angel Dust anyplace good. The euphoric oblivion of being doped out of his mind is hugely preferable.

But Charlie consistently asks Angel how he is each day, and keeps on inviting him to take part in group activities (especially as the Extermination looms), and after this long the spider has let himself be convinced it’s because she cares.

He remembers overthinking because he cared ~~_cares_.~~

Deep down, he hopes the Princess doesn’t burn herself out with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I notice I keep writing angsty Angel Dust chapters without meaning to… (I’m sorry)
> 
> One thing I really would like to see at some point in the Hazbin series is Angel confronting Charlie over whether she actually understands or cares - I think it's a necessary thing to address. I don't doubt Charlie's good intentions, but it does come across in the pilot that she (& to a greater extent Vaggie) are more concerned about the Hotel's reputation than Angel's well-being, coupled with her fairly simplistic understanding of sin & redemption. 
> 
> My interpretation of Angel is that he has great capacity for empathy, despite all the personal shit he's got going on, and that he'd be able to recognize Charlie's genuine good intentions at some point. Self-doubt, pressure & shit from Valentino, and that Angel puts on an edgy persona to protect himself/others would probably be the main obstacles to confront.


End file.
